overbear
/ˌoʊ.vɚˈbɛɹ/verb
overbear is spelled O-V-E-R-B-E-A-R: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 45 million words in written English, the 206,808th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, overbear means “To push through by physical weight or strength; to overwhelm, overcome” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in overbear?
| Letters | 8: O-V-E-R-B-E-A-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 45 million words; the 206,808th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is overbear?
Overbear appears about once in every 45 million words in written English, the 206,808th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce overbear?
- UK /əʊvəˈbɛː/
- US /ˌoʊ.vɚˈbɛɹ/
Overbear has 3 syllables (counted from the pronunciation).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Flame,_not_lame-overbear.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with overbear?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as overbear from its last stressed vowel (/ɛɹ/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of overbear
- overbears present, singular, he/she/it
- overbearing participle, present
- overbore past
- overborne participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does overbear mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
obsoleteTo carry over.
- 2
To push through by physical weight or strength; to overwhelm, overcome.
- 3
To prevail over; to dominate, overpower; to oppress.
- 4
To produce an overabundance of fruit.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Where does overbear come from?
From Middle English overberen; equivalent to over- + bear.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).